The Challenge
by Ms-Figg
Summary: Fed up with Snape so obviously putting the moves on Hermione, an irate Ron issues a challenge that the dark wizard just can't refuse. One-shot. Character death.


**The Challenge**

Severus Snape, Lucius Malfoy, Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley stood out in an open field, the two older wizards one hundred yards away from the two younger ones. Harry was massaging Ron's shoulders as the redheaded wizard scowled in the direction of his opponent, one Severus Tobias Snape.

Snape and Lucius spoke in low tones, as the sun rose higher in the sky. Suddenly the crack of thunder sounded and a short little wizard dressed in Ministry robes appeared. He had white hair, a large, curling mustache and sharp brown eyes. Importantly, he positioned himself mid-way between the wizards and cleared his throat.

"Are Mr. Ronald Bilius Weasley and Mr. Severus Tobias Snape present?" he called out.

"I'm here," Ron called in response.

Snape simply nodded.

"And your seconds, Mr. Harry Potter and Lord Lucius Malfoy?" he continued.

"Present," Harry replied.

Lucius also nodded at the wizard.

"Very good. Now you all know why we are here. To permanently settle a dispute between the challenger Ronald Weasley and the challenged, Severus Snape. Wands will be drawn at twenty paces and the wizard who survives the duel will be declared the victor and the dispute decided in his favor."

The wizard reached into his pocket and pulled out a little parchment scroll. He opened it and read it over, shaking his head slightly.

"At the center of this dispute is one Hermione Granger, a single witch that's twenty-three years of age. It appears both Mr. Weasley and Mr. Snape wish to court her. Mr. Weasley, in an effort to permanently settle the matter, formerly filed papers at the Ministry asking for the right to duel to the death due to irreconcilable differences between himself and Mr. Snape, which were served and accepted by said Mr. Snape."

"You can take him, Ron," Harry breathed in his ear.

They had been doing heavy practicing these past three months in preparation for this moment. Hermione thought Ron was insane to want to duel Snape.

"We only talk about the latest magical news, Ron, really. I just find him knowledgable and pleasant to talk to," Hermione told him.

"He fancies you, Hermione. He told me himself," Ron seethed.

Hermione was surprised and flattered.

"He did?" she said, smiling in a manner Ron didn't like at all. She looked . . . pleased.

Snape refused to back off when Ron confronted him.

"It's not my fault if you feel you can't handle a bit of competition, Mr. Weasley," Snape purred at him. "Nor is it my fault if Miss Granger prefers brains to brawn. I certainly will not stop speaking with her. In fact, I am going to make it a point to engage her every chance I get."

Ron's meltdown point came when he was looking for Hermione and found her at the Ministry library, sitting in a rather dark corner with Snape, both of them reading from the same book, the dark wizard's arm resting on the chair behind her as he murmured in her ear, Hermione smiling and nodding her head. They looked very cozy although Snape may simply have been telling her about the properties of some potion ingredient, but to Ron it looked as if he were whispering sweet somethings in her ear, and he didn't like it, especially the smirk Snape gave him when he saw him.

The next day, Ron issued the challenge formally to Snape. To refuse meant to arbitrarily settle the dispute in the challenger's favor. Snape wasn't about to do that.

"Mr. Snape and Mr. Weasley, approach and stand at the ready," the Ministry Mediation wizard ordered.

"Go get him, Ron!" Harry said, giving him a hearty pat on the back. "Remember what we practiced. He'll never expect it."

"Right, Harry. This ends today. Hermione's going to be my witch and my wife," the wizard swore, then marched out to meet Snape.

They stood eye to eye, both faces set as if in stone. Lucius watched, shaking his head slightly. What wizards didn't do for free-range pussy. It was much better to just buy some than kill each other over it. Merlin. Weasley was insane. And Severus wasn't far from it, accepting the young man's challenge. All this over a Muggle-born witch, who was rather plain-looking at that. It was absolutely ludicrous, but at least entertaining.

"Turn, present your wands, and start walking at my count," the Ministry wizard instructed.

Snape and Ron turned their backs toward each other, their wands held at their sides.

"One! Two! Three . . ." the wizard counted down, backing away out of the presume line of fire.

Harry and Lucius watched as Ron and Snape marched across the field, Ron taking over-sized steps to put more distance between them as Snape walked with his normal stride.

"Nineteen! Twenty!" the wizard cried.

Ron spun and quickly Disillusioned himself, throwing up a smoke screen to hide his movements, firing several Killing Curses in Snape's general direction, hoping to catch him. Unforgivables were allowed in duels, since they could end them quickly and with a minimum of bloodshed. Of course, Snape wasn't there. In fact, he didn't seem to be anywhere. There were no spells firing back at Ron.

Confused and thinking Snape may have run away, but remaining Disillusioned, Ron let the smoke screen clear, crouched and ready.

Harry groaned as Snape, who was behind Ron and could see his shimmer, breathed, "Avada Kedavra" and took him right out. The dark wizard had cast a Silencing spell on himself and Apparated the distance necessary to get behind the wizard. It was a simple and effective strategy. Gryffindors often assumed others were as straight forward as they were. Well, that erroneous assumption had cost Ronald Weasley his life.

Ron fell to the ground dead, reappearing as his Disillusionment spell dissipated, his blue eyes staring sightlessly up at the sky as Snape studied his corpse. There wasn't a mark on him. He'd look good when he was laid out for services..

"You couldn't have thought this would come out well, Mr. Weasley," he said to the dead wizard. "For you, that is. Me? I'm good. Very good."

With those final words, Severus Snape strode away, very prepared to claim his prize, unimpeded and unchallenged. Miss Granger might take the redhead's death hard at first, but she was a logical young woman and would realize Ron had foolishly brought his death upon himself.

In time, she would also realize that he, Severus Snape, was by far the better choice for a mate.

He'd make sure of it.

* * *

A/N: Poor Ron, I've been bashing and killing him all day today. Lol. Well, I can't help it. He can always be taken care of in so few words. Lololol. My other story I wrote today, a two chaptered one called "Forgetting Ron" had my email box blowing up with emails from readers who just want him DEAD! Lol. I might have to write a "redeeming" Ron story to stave off all the hatred I've caused concerning him. He's really not a bad sort. Just fun to write that way. Anyway, thanks for reading.


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